Modern World II: Jack and Rapunzel
by princessoutrageous
Summary: Rapunzel: What's Jack hiding from me? I love him, but I can't love someone I don't know. Jack: I don't want to hurt her. She doesn't understand. I want to make her understand, but I'm afraid I'll run out of time. Jack and Rapunzel are focused on one thing; saving earth. But they know they must save themselves first. From or for each other? Book two of the Modern World series!
1. Chapter 1

**Princess Outrageous: Hey so here is the second book! Anyway, I added a new character and she has nothing to do with the rest of the story. But she's a parallel version of a girl you might know ;) Anyway, I only added her to give you the idea of how off and angry Jack was. So without further ado, to the story!**

**Chapter 1**

(Jack's POV)

Today is my first official day of American high school. Pray I'll survive and that nobody recognizes me.

The girls went ahead of Hiccup and I. They said they had business to do, which is fine with me because I never wanted to be with Rapunzel anyway. All she ever does was judge people. And I'm still so mad at her for judging me.

"Hey man," Hiccup spoke beside me as I drove down the silent grey road, "You ok?"

I sighed, "I'm fine. I just need time to deal with this."

Hiccup nodded. He doesn't know what exactly happened, but he is very understanding. He knows when I need my space, and when I need a friend. Guess that's why he's my best friend.

We arrived in school and we both got out of my Dodger. Our first class was science.

Oh no. That means we'll be in the same class as the girls.

I sighed, pulled up my hoodie, and slowly walked to the classroom. The hallways were empty; they were all in their classes. We finally found the door and entered.

The moment we entered, I could feel all eyes point our way. All the girls immediately started whispering and giggling. All except The Girls. Rapunzel and Merida sat in the front row so I chose an empty seat at the very back of the class. Hiccup sat at the desk right beside Merida's.

I took out my books and slumped in my seat. A blonde girl sat in front of me. She turned around in her seat and eyed me from head to toe. She was beautiful, in a nerdy way. Her cute glasses perched on her nose and her grey eyes searched me. She had a Cinderella nose; the upturned kind and she had a few freckles sprinkled across her nose.

"You look familiar," she whispered. "Have we met?"

"Nope," I immediately said while I fingered my staff in my pocket (did you know my Source (the staff) could shrink so it could fit in my pocket?). I hope she doesn't recognize me. I would hate to bring my body guards to school again.

"I'm Annabeth," she smiled and extended her hand.

I ignored her and started doodling on my notebook. She looked hurt and guilt started building up inside me, but I knew I couldn't tell her my name. Maybe she'll figure out I'm a rising star in Europe.

For the rest of the class I kept my head covered with my hoodie and Annabeth never turned around since. From what I could tell though, only she and Rapunzel could answer all the questions correctly. I scoffed. Nerds.

Meanwhile I sat at the back, barely paying attention; absorbed in my own thoughts.

What did Corwin's mom really mean? What queen? What bees?

"Mr. Frost," the teacher called my name. My head snapped up.

"Yes?" I replied. Everyone was staring at me.

The teacher sighed, "I asked you: in the formula CH4 + O2 interact to make H2O +CO2, which are the reactants?"

Hah. This is a review from seventh grade.

With my mind still on the bees/queen mystery, I answered, "CH4 + O2."

"That is correct," the teacher replied and went back to her chalkboard. Just as she was about to write some more, the bell rang and we all gathered our things. I gathered mine quickly and bolted out the door, not wanting to walk beside the girls and Hiccup at this moment. My next class was Math and I quickly strode there. Just one class at a time, Jack.

As I was walking there, Rapunzel walked beside me. I ignored her, of course.

"Jack," she panted, for my long legs were faster than hers and she tried to keep up. "We need to talk."

"No we don't," I said and turned away.

She stepped in front of me, forcing me to stop.

She forcefully grabbed the front of my shirt, then, seeing nobody around, shoved me at the nearest bathroom.

Then she pushed me inside a stall and locked the door behind her. The tiny space made our bodies press together without meaning to. I took a sharp inhale of breath, surprised and liking it. She didn't notice and she grabbed the front of my shirt again, pressing her face so close to mine I could see the gold flecks of her green eyes.

"Listen to me, Jack," she said and her warm breath washed over my face.

Minty.

"It was all a big misunderstanding, I know that now," she continued. "And I know I was wrong to say those things about you, but you were wrong too."

"What do you mean I was-"

"SHUSH," she put a delicate finger against my lips. "You need to learn to listen. I didn't know the whole story, and you should've been more understanding."

When I frowned, she said, "What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you like that and making you cry like a baby."

"I don't cry like a baby," I said, man my heart was beating so loud!

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said. "So will you forgive me?"

With her slim body pressed against me like that, I couldn't exactly focus to what she was saying. My brain was all jumbled up with her scent invading my senses.

"Uh, Jack?" she questioned, a perfect brow arched. "Are you okay? You look really red."

"Oh, um, yeah sure," I stuttered. "I'll give you a second chance."

Her face brightened and I quickly added, "On one condition. You're buying my snacks for two months."

"Oh I'll give you something better than snacks," she said in a playful way. Rapunzel pressed closer till our noses were touching and her lips brushed against mine.

"And you're gonna love it."

(Rapunzel's POV)

I was so sad the whole day, thinking about Jack. But now he forgave me and I'm the happiest girl in the world. When we came out the bathroom stall, he was burning red (I have no idea why) and we were late for our classes.

He had asked me what it was and when I replied, "Cupcakes", he sputtered and said, "You expect me to like cupcakes?" and when I nodded, he commented, "I've always hated cupcakes, but fine. Let me see you give it your best shot."

I beamed and using my Source, subconsciously opened the door and dumped him out.

"Ouch," he muttered while rubbing his head, causing his white hair to be even messier.

Messier equals cuter.

"So we're still friends?" I said hopefully. I've never lost one and I'm not starting now.

"Sure," he seemed distracted as he rushed to his class.

The rest of the day rolled by quickly and before long we were on our way back to Jack's home (by the way, our parents learned about the trouble we got into and agreed that the Frosts' home was the safest place for us to stay in). Since Merida and I were on the class at the end of the day, we walked out together. As we chatted, Merida suddenly stopped and pointed.

"That's Annabeth," she whispered and I looked.

"Uh, yeah," I said, my brows knit together. "So?"

"See that boy she's talking to?"

"Yeah?" I looked over the boy. He was tall, had dark hair, and the skateboarding type.

"That's Percy Jackson," Merida finished.

I laughed, "Isn't he a character in a book?"

"Yep," Merida said. "Parallel world, remember? My Mom's parallel version is the evil queen here, Astrid."

My eyes widened. "Woah. Until now I never really took this seriously. This whole thing is real!"

"Yep," Merida said, letting the "p" pop.

We kept watching them until Percy suddenly grabbed Annabeth's shoulders and kissed her.

"That's our cue to leave," I said and Merida giggled. We both got in her car and we drove away.

We rode through town until we found the road to Jack's house. Merida liked to drive faster on this road, since rarely any cars came by here. It was getting darker and we were listening to a song.

**THUD.**

A dark, furry, bloody figure fell on our wind shield and we screamed.

Tires screeched.

We screamed on.

And as the car spun, I caught a small glimpse of a red shirt zooming past. Was it a vampire?

Then we hit a tree and I fell into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

(Rapunzel's POV)

I opened my eyes groggily. Then I felt sudden ache in my head and I moaned. I slowly sat up and was shocked to see myself inside my room in Jack's house.

What happened? I remember driving here from school, but I don't remember going past the door and falling asleep on my bed. I slowly stood up and headed into Merida's room. There she was, asleep as well.

Strange.

(Jack's POV)

Practice came next and Stoick changed the practice location to my house. So I drove Hiccup and I there. By the time we had arrived, it was well over five in the afternoon. We got out my car and our valet parked it. Then we went inside the large stone mansion and I dashed straight to my room.

My mother allowed me to design my own room and I loved every single detail. The walls were painted a navy blue with one side of the wall painted pure white. The floor was dark, polished wood. My bathroom was on the white side of the wall; the inside decorated entirely with glass and numerous shower-heads that hit all side of your body, giving you a sort of mini body massage. A frosted glass sliding door separated the bathroom from my room. The windows overlooked the mountain. The majestic, high mountain looked awesome during winter. My bed was king-sized, the sheets and comforter decorated with white snowflakes and the blue contrasted it perfectly. Ok, let's just say I'm obsessed with anything that has to do with winter and snow.

I showered, put on a blue shirt, Levi jeans, and headed downstairs to dinner. I heard Merida's parents were coming over for dinner and I was right. As I entered the dining room, almost everyone was seated except for Hiccup.

Ugh he's late again.

I took my seat beside my mother and she leaned in to kiss my cheek. I smiled at her and patted her hand. As I looked around the table, I immediately recognized Merida's mom. She looked exactly like her, except where Merida's hair was curly in a wavy way, her mother's was the crazy curly kind. And of course, her mother looked older than her; a few wrinkles appeared when she smiled.

To be polite, I cleared my throat and extended my hand across the table.

"Welcome, Mrs…?"

"Oh just call me Mer," she shook my hand in a gently yet firm grip.

I smiled, "I'm Jack."

"I know," she said knowingly. "Your parents and I were quite close. Jack was always quite the playful one."

I was drinking a glass of water and I sputtered on my drink, "Dad?" I shook my head. "Playful?"

She laughed soflty, "Indeed. But he had a mature heart; a heart to protect those he loved."

My heart ached. Dad has been gone for about a year now, and it never fails to make me feel guilty when I remember. Yes, right before we moved here he passed away. Right after he and my mom had chosen this house and found a school for me. After he had died, my mom was filled with so much grief I decided to skip school for a few months and just be with her. The mansion felt so empty without him. And the ache in my heart intensified. I never got to spend time with him. When he was still here, he was almost never home.

Most of the time I would deny what happened and just tell myself over and over again that he's at work, and he won't be coming home for a while.

But I knew deep inside he's gone and it's my fault.

I excused myself from the table and retreated to my room. A few minutes later, Xerxes skipped inside my lair.

"Hey," he said, "Practice starts in an hour. We'll be doing it in your gym."

He then grinned which showed a gap between his teeth and walked away.

"Wait," I stopped him, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He raised a brow at me but sat down on my bed and faced me anyway.

"Sure," his childish voice replied, "What about?"

I felt weird talking to a boy about serious stuff, but I knew he was a god so I went at it, "Why did you change the time when the four of us first met?"

He sighed, "We changed the time so you could get the email on time. If you hadn't, Stoick's entire village would have been destroyed by werewolves."

My brows furrowed. "Then why did you change the restaurants?"

"That was Jake's idea," he grinned, "That was just for fun."

I gave him an exasperated look and he giggled, "It's fun being a little boy. You get the brain and a body of one."

He then walked out my door. "Don't be late," he winked before heading down.

I groaned. I don't really want to go. But then, if I wanted to survive an entire world of chaos in three months, then I guess I have to get going.

I spent the next forty minutes lying down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Thinking about what would happen after the war. What if we lost? What then?

After my genius thinking (I hadn't solved a single thing), I went to get changed. I wore shorts and a white undershirt. Then I slowly made my way to our gym.

The others were already there. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were in a wrestling match. Stoick was coaching Merida while she did push-ups, Corwin and Abbadon were sparring in their demon forms, and Hiccup sat on top of Toothless, his eyes closed.

Where's Rapunzel?

I walked towards Kaira and asked, "Where's Rapunzel?"

"Oh," she replied, "she went to bake or something. She'll be down in a minute."

True to her word, I heard loud steps thumping down the staircase and Rapunzel emerged, wearing short shorts and a shirt that says "I am a CUTEcumber" in bold words. Her long golden hair was tied back in a pony tail and she wore Nike shoes.

I agree with the shirt.

Our gym was huge. It had almost every exercising equipment imaginable. My parents also added weapons to it, so I'll know what to do with one they say.

Stoick stood in the middle of the room.

"Gather around!" he called and we all did, "Each of you will be training individually to learn to harness your Source." We all nodded and he turned to Rapunzel.

(Rapunzel's POV)

"Rapunzel," he said, "Step up here please."

I did and he walked away, arriving back later carrying a cup with water and a stool. He placed the stool at the far end of the room and placed the cup on the other end. Then he stepped back and clasped his hands together.

"Now Rapunzel," he said softly, "I want you to take the cup and place it on top of the stool using your Source."

Okay. That shouldn't be so hard.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the cup. I could feel every drop of water in it. I felt my Source inside me, struggling to be set free. I let it go then I heard a splash and a scream.

I quickly opened my eyes to see Corwin dripping wet. I looked at Stoick and his face was a mix of awe and confusion. I looked back at Corwin and saw that he was dripping wet from head to toe. How on earth could water from the cup have drenched him like that?

Xerxes stepped up and explained the confusion, "Rapunzel is able to copy the molecular compounds that she can sense and pull them out from another source. She concentrated too much on the water inside the cup; she accidentally pulled the water from air and focused it on Corwin."

Suddenly Hiccup started gulping and Merida nudged him, "What on earth are you doing?"

"Drinking wet air," he rolled his eyes, "Duh."

"Oi," Merida muttered, "There's stupidity everywhere."

Then Jack's maid emerged and handed me a tray of my baked cupcakes, "I added the frosting for you ma'am," she said.

"Call me Rapunzel," I smiled at her as I took the tray from her hands. Then I turned to Jack and offered one.

"I promised," I winked and he reluctantly took one. Then he looked at it and his eyes widened.

"A-are those m&m's with w-whipped cream on top a chocolate c-cupcake?" He stuttered as he stared at it in hunger and amazement.

"Yep," I replied.

Then he took a bite and made a sound at the back of his throat. He closed his eyes in bliss and proceeded to gobble the entire cupcake.

"Wait, m&m's on top chocolate?" Hiccup overheard, "Gimme!"

Jack panicked, snatched the tray from me and ran out the gym. Hiccup followed and managed to take one cupcake. Before Jack could take it back, Hiccup had already swallowed the delicious recipe.

"You betraying bastard!" Jack yelled and took his tray of treasure, stomping away. Then he stopped and turned to Hiccup, his eyes narrowed into slits, "You're dead to me."

But while he had his head turned around, Tuffnut and Corwin had snuck up and ate the last remaining two.

When Jack whipped his head around, Corwin and Tuffnut already had mouthfuls of cupcake, trying not to smile.

"Don't worry boys," I giggled. "I made extra. They're in the oven."

The moment they heard this, they scrambled for the stairs, each trying to climb first.

"It's mine!" Jack screamed and Tuffnut took him down by grabbing on to his legs before Jack could take another step.

I watched amused as I looked at four of the toughest looking boys acting like three-year-olds; all because of my cupcakes.

"Well," I heard Kaira behind me sigh, "That's the end of practice for today."

I turned around to face them and froze.

"Wait, where's Stoick?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

(Jack POV)

Oh my gorgeous those cupcakes are delicious. The chocolate melted on my tongue the moment it touched it. My eyes closed in happy bliss as I chewed slowly. A few minutes later I had swallowed everything and now there's nothing left because of those two stupid idiots who stole my cupcakes.

I will get my revenge.

I groaned in frustration as I washed my hands and headed back to the gym to get more practice. Unfortunately, when I got there, everyone had dispersed and I was alone.

I sighed and decided to go back upstairs. As I reached the top, I sensed something. I have no idea how, but I could sense my Source trying to tell me something. I reached in my pocket and gripped the staff hard.

_Something's going on,_ he whispered. I nodded and slowly tiptoed back down the stairs. As I reached the bottom, I pressed my back flat against the wall to stay hidden. I snuck a look at the side and I saw nothing.

Suddenly, the air shifted and Stoick and another man stepped out of thin air. I held my breath as I looked closer.

The man wore a red hoodie, blue jeans, and he was barefoot. His skin was pale and his eyes were red.

He's a vampire!

"Are you sure you got rid of him?" Stoick asked the man.

The man smiled, showing pearl white fangs that made a shiver down my spine, "He won't be bothering us anymore. Stoick is a foolish man."

What? Another Stoick?

Stoick nodded, "And no one else was involved?"

"Well," the man rubbed the back of his neck. "His body crashed on a car driven by stupid girls, but I had them teleported to where they belonged without a single scratch."

"Good," Stoick nodded again. "Humans being teleported is memory loss anyway."

The man nodded and disappeared again. Stoick sighed and walked towards the stairs.

My heart pounded against my ribcage as he got closer.

Please go back, please go back.

I almost collapsed in relief when he bent down to tie his shoes.

I ran away as fast and as quietly as I could.

(Rapunzel's POV)

With nothing else to do, I retreated to my room but not before asking one of Jack's maids to bring me paint, a large canvas, and a brush. She smiled and went to retrieve what I asked. And while I waited, I changed into more comfortable clothes which are boxers (yes I wear boxers. They're so comfy!) and a tank top. Then I tied my hair up in a messy bun and waited. A knock sounded on my door a few minutes later and I opened it to see the maid with exactly what I wanted.

I took the things from her and smiled, "Thank you."

She smiled as well, "You're very welcome Miss."

I then shut the door and placed the paint on the floor. Then I went to the kitchen to look for a large plastic covering of some sort. I knew I was making myself feel too much at home, but I didn't care. It was time for me to paint.

I found the plastic and headed back to my room. Then I spread it out on the carpeted floor so I wouldn't get paint on it. I placed the canvas where I wanted to paint and I cranked up some music. When everything was in place, I reached for the brush and dipped it in the red paint.

I started with a swipe across the paper. Then I stopped.

I looked at that red gash for a while and I dropped the brush. I smiled sadly as I dipped one of my hands in blue paint and another in yellow.

Blue for confusion.

Yellow for happiness.

Red for passion.

I mixed colors painted to the music. As I painted, each color brought out a beat of my heart. When I used red, I thought of my Source. When I used both red and blue I thought of Jack Frost.

I painted and halfway through, I stopped to look down at myself. I was covered in paint. I had a few yellow streaks on my elbow, a red one down the front of my tank top, a blue one on my collarbone, a purple streak here, a brown one there, and basically yep I'm covered.

I giggled at myself and a knock sounded on the door before Jack poked his head in.

His eyes widened at my appearance and I glared at him.

"Next time, try waiting for my 'yes you may come in' before you actually poke your nose in here," I said, a hand on my hip.

He laughed softly, "Yeah well I've been knocking for a while now so…"

"Oh," was all I said, "My music was too loud I guess."

Then we just stood there awkwardly staring at each other.

He wore basketball shorts, a top, was barefoot as well, and his white hair was a mess.

Not that I noticed that.

"So…" I tried breaking the tension. "What were you going to tell me?"

"Oh right, um," he replied, "I was wondering if you'd want to go out some time?"

Wait what? Is he asking me out?

"Er, yeah sure," I stammered, "when?"

"After school tomorrow?" he said. He looked nervous haha, "We could maybe grab something to eat."

"Sure yeah," I said, butterflies exploding in my belly. And the whole time we were talking he was stepping closer and closer to me till we were a few inches apart.

He searched my face. Then he chuckled, "You've got a little something there."

He pointed at his chin and I rubbed mine, "Is it still there?"

"Yep," he replied. "You have a few here too." He gestured to his forehead and by then I was rubbing my forehead like a madman. Then he burst out laughing and he pointed to the bathroom. I walked there and was shocked to see that the paint on my hands had transferred to my chin and my forehead. I turned back to him, suppressing a smile and tried to look upset.

"You're going to pay for that!" I yelled and lunged at him, smearing his face and chest with paint. I tackled him to the bed and he tried to tickle me. I laughed and grabbed his hair, putting a few streaks of blue in his white hair. Then I tickled him in the ribs and before long we were rolling on my bed, trying to tickle each other and laughing so hard our cheeks hurt.

"Hey Rap-" We stopped at the sound of her voice and there stood Merida, a perplexed look on her face.

Ok, our position might look really weird right now considering I was sitting on top of him in my boxers and he and I were covered in paint.

Plus his shirt was half-way off.

Merida rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip, "No need to explain. It's pretty obvious."

"No wait-" I stuttered and Merida held up her hand. "I don't need the details about this bff." She said and giggled a little.

"Seriously!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "It's not what you think!"

"Uh huh," her face looked disbelieving, "Anyway, just wanted to tell you that there's no training tomorrow because Stoick is having the arena installed in the gym."

Then she winked at us and shut the door behind her.

I heard Jack laugh behind me and I turned to glare at him.

"What's so funny?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Now my best friend thinks you're my boyfriend!"

He was suddenly serious, "And is that a bad thing?"

"Yes!" I didn't hesitate, "We're in the middle of war, Jack. Of course it's a bad thing!"

He looked hurt for a while and I felt guilt wash over me.

Then he was back to his charming and broody self and said, "We're friends. That's that."

Was that disappointment I felt?

Then Hiccup walked in the door.

Without knocking.

I groaned in frustration. Then Merida followed him in and she held up a hand.

"Since the four of us are here in Jack's house in a sort of sleepover, why don't we play some truth or dare?"

I gulped.

Merida and the truth or dare game? Oh, lasagna.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

(Jack's POV)

No. Not in a million years am I playing Truth or Dare. Not after the look on Rapunzel's face when Merida suggested that. She looked terrified. Hiccup isn't the best player either. One time he dared me to drink straight from the milk carton; and when I did it, his eyes bugged out. I guess his family was really strict with him.

Merida strode across the room and sat on the plush rug at the bottom of the bed. Hiccup sat beside her. Rapunzel and I looked at each other, shrugged, and sat down to join them. We sat cross-legged in a circle. Merida took out a whiskey bottle from under her jacket (I don't even want to know how) and spun it in the middle of the floor.

We watched as the bottle spun and the tip pointed to Rapunzel.

"Truth or dare?" She asked me.

I hesitated. "Dare," I replied. This version of Truth or Dare seemed a bit different to what I played. In the game I know, if the bottle pointed to you, it means someone asked you truth or dare. But the way they played it, if the bottle pointed to you, it means you get to ask anyone you like. I think.

She placed a delicate finger under her chin, scrunched up her nose, and started thinking. I could practically see the wheels turning in her gorgeous head.

Then her eyes lit up and she looked back at me.

"I dare you to make it snow in here," her green eyes twinkled.

"I'll try, but I don't think Sandy will be ok with this," I said, while taking out my staff from my pocket.

"Pffft!" Merida waved her hand. "That's his problem. Now do it!"

I sighed and held my staff. I tapped into my Source and focused on the image of snow falling from the ceiling. I felt a tingling in my belly and when I opened my eyes, the room was snowing.

Rapunzel giggled as a snowflake fell on her nose. She shook her head and the white snowflake drifted away.

Merida and Hiccup just sat there, staring at the snow as if they see it every day. I think Rapunzel told me something about getting older emotionally. I guess we're used to seeing magic all the time now.

We spun the bottle again while snow fell. This time, it pointed at Merida.

I could hear Rapunzel gulp.

Merida had a mischievous look on her face. She turned to Hiccup.

"Truth or dare?" her voice sounded lower and a little smile played across her mouth.

"Erm…" Hiccup looked to my side and so did I.

Rapunzel was waving her hands desperately mouthing, "Don't choose dare. Don't choose dare."

Hiccup was having a hard time reading her lips and he squinted. Merida turned her head around and Rapunzel immediately stopped.

"Dare," Hiccup said and Rapunzel slapped her forehead.

"I dare you to summon Toothless using your Source and Jack will open a portal to my house. Then I want you and Toothless to step through that portal, take my cousin's diary, then come back."

I lifted an eyebrow. "That is the weirdest dare I have ever heard."

Merida shrugged. "I know and I don't care. Just do it. If you don't I'll be calling you a whimpy chicken for the rest of your life."

Hiccup gulped. Then he nodded slowly and closed his eyes. In less than a minute, Toothless came banging on the door and Hiccup got up to open the door for him. Toothless entered and sat down like a puppy, his tongue lolling out as he panted.

Then Hiccup sat back down, cross-legged. Apparently, Toothless had other ideas instead and gingerly sat on Hiccup's lap.

"Toothless! Ugh you weigh a ton, so get off of me." Hiccup groaned but Toothless had already placed his head between his huge paws and had totally ignored Hiccup's muffled shouts of protest.

There was a look of amusement in Rapunzel's features. Not that I've been staring. Nope.

Merida nodded at me and I sighed again. I'm going to regret this.

I tapped in my Source again and I felt it in me. I felt it shake and vibrate in my bones. I focused my thought on Merida's house. Just those two words; I knew my Source would find it. Then I watched in awe as a crystal blue portal morphed from thin air. It wasn't those whir-y kinds that have so much wind it causes things around it to fly in different directions. No, this one was much like the opposite.

It made the room seem more at peace, like time was frozen and yet it isn't. It was like water in the atmosphere that made me feel soaked but I'm not.

The portal was of ice and frost. _All you have to do is crack open the ice to go through that portal,_ I felt my Source explain. I've opened portals before, but they were always with my eyes closed. Not this time.

I explained to Hiccup what he had to do to get through.

"Seems easy enough," he wheezed and he tried again to shove away Toothless but to no avail.

_But be careful,_ my Source whispered in my mind. _Once you crack the ice, you'll be sucked right in if you stand too close._

I nodded and was about to explain to Hiccup but I was too late.

For some reason, my heart started beating faster in fear or anticipation I don't know. All I could do was stand there as I watched the scene unravel before me in horror.

Hiccup and Toothless had broken the thin layer of clear ice. The moment they did this, I only had a glimpse of something red, dark, and in a forest; before they were wrenched inside.

Rapunzel and I stepped forward to try and stop them, because obviously that is _not _Merida's house.

So did Merida, and that was a mistake.

In his panic, Hiccup grabbed Merida's wrist and she followed them into the portal, screaming.

The ice closed again and Rapunzel and I tried breaking it open. My fist connected with the ice again and again, trying to break it. But before we could, the portal cracked, crumbled, and fell. The moment it touched the ground, it turned to fine dust. So fine and tiny it looked like there was nothing there at all. And it's true. The portal was gone.

"Do it again Jack!" Rapunzel's eyes were panicked. "Merida's in there!"

I tried. Oh, how I tried, but I couldn't.

I was getting frustrated. I had to save my friends. Who knows where I sent them and what trouble they're facing because of me.

My Source entered me, but I felt like something was blocking it. I shut my eyes close and focused all my mind and willpower to re-opening that portal.

"It's working!" Rapunzel cried and I opened my eyes to see a small circle of ice suspended in air. I tried harder.

Just a little more, I thought to myself. I pushed a bit more, and I crumpled to the floor.

(Rapunzel's POV)

"Jack!" I screamed as he fell to the floor. He was shivering and his eyes wouldn't open. I scrambled down and put his head on my lap.

"Jack come on, please," I said as I touched his cold face. Panic started to rise in me and I put my head to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. Please…

There it is; so faint, so weak, but it was there. I sighed in relief and yelled for help.

Sandy burst through the door along with Corwin behind him.

"What happened?" Corwin asked as he rushed over and took Jack from my arms.

"H-he's fine," I stammered, still a bit in shock. "Just get him warm. Hiccup and Merida are stranded somewhere."

Corwin raised a brow, but did not ask questions and carried Jack to his room to take care of him. I had just recently noticed that those three boys have gotten closer together as days went by.

Then Sandy came and ushered me to the parlour.

"What happened?" I was shaking. "He's going to be ok, right?"

_Yes he is,_ he replied, the words floating above his head was hasty. _But that doesn't matter right now. A friend of mine saw what happened and told me. Rapunzel, Jack's portal was blocked and was hacked by some undefined organism. _His face looked worried._ When Jack tried to re-open the portal, they tried to block him. It drained his Source and that's why he's passed out. _

"Do you have any idea who could have done that?" I asked, after reading his explanation, which was difficult because I found out that when he talked fast and was nervous his words are a bit garbled; almost as if he was writing it in a hurry.

Sandy shook his golden head. _Nobody knows who. But we do know this; whoever they are, they want Hiccup and Merida's Sources. Not only is their Source powerful, but it is also evil. That's why they still have to go through training. If they don't learn to control it, it could cause the worst damages not only to earth, but to other planets too. _

I nodded and slowly sat down. "We need to find a way to help them," I pleaded.

Sandy shook his head sadly. _We cannot enter from the outside. We'll just have to hope they can break out from the inside._

I felt my eyes widen in anger. "You mean to tell me there's nothing we can do?" I stood up and started pacing. "We have to do something! We can't just stand here acting like a bunch of idiots!"

_I'm sorry, Rapunzel,_ Sandy held me gently by my shoulders. _But for now we have to focus on your training. Hiccup and Merida will be fine. They have Toothless to protect them. They'll find a way out. I promise. _Then he took me in his arms and held me in an embrace that definitely calmed me down.

Suddenly, I heard a crash. I whipped my head to the door in time to see Jack leaning on the door heavily and half a second later Corwin followed, running.

"Jack, come on buddy," he held Jack by the shoulders and tried to steer him back. "You need to rest."

"No," Jack gasped. "You have to listen to me Sandy."

Corwin shrugged and helped Jack cross the floor to us. I ran halfway to help him.

"Listen to me," His voice sounded hoarse. "I know what Corwin's mom means by the queen bee."

"What?" Corwin asked him.

"Humans can literally create other worlds by making movies and writing books," Jack continued as we slowly helped him sit down. Then he gripped my arm and looked in my eyes, his own wide with fear and realization.

"Their target is Earth," he was shaking. "Control Earth and you control the universe."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

(Rapunzel's POV)

What were they going to do with my planet? Enslave it? Or worse, destroy it? No, I'd rather this planet die free than live as a slave to another. They're going to have to go through me to touch my world. I won't let them near it.

I helped a shaking Jack onto the sofa and went to the kitchen to grab him a glass of water. On my way back, I saw Abaddon murmuring to Jack in a low voice. Jack was nodding in understanding at something he said and my curiousity got the best of me so I ventured closer. And as soon as I did, I felt the tension and something at the beck of my mind told me they had changed the subject. What are they hiding from me?

"As I was saying, we have less than three months to train," Corwin said, leaning against the wall shirtless and clad in jeans. "We have to start tomorrow. You'll hae to recover from your shock quickly."

Abaddon nodded in agreement. "This is not the tie to be worrying about Merida and Hiccup. We'll just hae to pray Toothless will be able to protect them. And they're smart. They know they should be training before the War. They'll learn more if they learn by themselves."

I sat down slowly, my heart aching, not knowing when I'll see my dear Merida again. Then a thought occured to me.

"Why did they specifically tell us to wait three months before the War? It sounds ridiculous if you ask me," I said, frowning. "They could attack anytime they want, in fact, they'll probably most likely win if they catch us off-guard. Why three months?"

"She's got a point," Jakc murmured. "What do they plan to do exactly? what are we up against?" His white hair caught in the light from the lamp behind him and my breath caught. As his Source permeated him, so did his immortality. As each day passes by, I see his body change into that of a god's. His once skinny arms are now with bigger muscles, his voice got impossibly deeper, and his eyes, my goodness his eyes. They were once a shade of blue and brown. Now they are a startling blue. I'm not even exaggerating. The blue of his eyes is the kind of blue you do not find here on earth. Not in the sky, not in the ocean, not in any great painter's brush. Like his immortality, Jack's eyes were that of sapphire and gold. Alien. Impossible.

Mine.

I have no idea where that thought came from and I shook my head to focus on what was being discussed.

"This is why we start training tomorrow morning," Jake joined, in his kid form again. "We must be prepared for what's in store for us. We never know when they'll strike and we should be strong enough to at least defend when the times has come."

We all nodded and Jack asked another question, "What about Hiccup and Merida? Where are they? Are they safe?"

Words formed above Sandy's golden head, _We don't know where they are exactly, but I do know this; If they're not safe with Toothless, they're not safe anywhere else. He is the most trusted bodyguard an immortal could ever have._ Then he walked to Jack, helped him up, and carried him to his room._ Oh, and one more thing,_ golden dust spiraled above his head. _You still have to go back to school tomorrow so we won't raise any suspicions._

"But they'll notice that Hiccup and Merida aren't there," I pointed out. "I think that's suspicious enough."

"One of the perks of being a demon," Abaddon smiled a dark grin. "I get to play with their minds a bit."

"Oh ok," Jack mumbled, his arm still draped over Sandy's strong shoulders. "But why can't you just do the same for Rapunzel and I so we can train?"

"I'm embarrassed to say that I have limits," Abaddon sighed. "Erasing the memory of two immortals from the minds of thousands of high-schoolers is not an easy job."

Corwin nodded, "For every memory he takes he loses five minutes of his life span." He turned to Abaddon, "Are you sure about this brother?"

"I thought demons were immortal too?" I interjected. "You can't die!"

"No, but it does drain us. And what do you get with a demon with abosolutely nothing left in him except bones and muscles? A dead one." Abaddon replied, switching of the light from the lamp.

Oh that makes sense.

"Ok then you guys better get some sleep. We wake up early tomorrow for training and then you're going to school." Jake yanwed. "Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight," we all chorused and I trudged to my bedroom. That night, I lay in bed thinking and I fell alseep with the memory of sapphires and gold lingering in my exhausted mind.

(Jack's POV)

I slept like a baby. It's strange because I haven't slept this well in years. Usually my mom would tuck me in bed and hum me a lullaby while my dad patted my back. It was the most peaceful feeling ever. And now, years later, it's back.

I crack one eye open and I see a hint of gold. I rub both my eyes to see if I was dreaming and sure enough, I've seen heaven.

The most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life sat on the edge of the bed and she stroked my hair with her soft hands and hummed. Her green eyes were a deeper green than the most abundant forest in the world. Her golden hair shimmered in the light of sunrise and her smile... I didn't know goddesses had such perfection in their smiles.

"Rapunzel?" my voice was husky from just waking up. "What are you doing here?"

"Our rooms are right next to each other, Jack," she gently massaged my head. "I heard you cry out in the middle of the night and I came to comfort you. I think you had a nightmare."

"Wha-" Then I remembered the nightmare. The dark, a flash of light, my name being screamed, the rain washing away the blood. I sat up and looked down to see my pillow wet with my tears. And just like that, I was back to being the hard Jack.

"You should've left me alone," I said coldly. I will not let her see that I am weak; I lost someone because I was weak. "And who are you to judge if I had a nightmare? What if I cried out because of something else? How DARE you come in here and take the place of my mother after misjudging me." I know it was childish, but I was still angry with her assumption that I slept with Jake's sister.

She drew in a sharp breath, shock resonated in her features before it morphed into something else; anger. "And I told you, JACK, that I was sorry," her voice was low and harsh. "And I'm sorry again for sacrificing my own sleep to come here and give you the peace you wanted." Then she stood up and I just grinned at her. A softie Rapunzel I don't know what to do with. An angry Rapunzel, THAT I can handle.

she walked to the door, looking incredibly beautiful in a tshirt and plain brown shorts. "I won't bother you again Jack. Not until you change your selfish attitude and apologize."

With an indignant jut of her chin, she walked out and slammed the door, leaving me sitting there with one thought in my mind; I am so screwed.

We met downstairs at the gym for our training session. Abaddon was already there; the rest had errands to do.

"Your first challenge is to fight each other," he crossed his bulky arms in front of his equally muscled chest. Red tattoos adorned his arms and right then he looked like the demon he is.

"You're not going to teach us first?" Rapunzel's eyes flashed in anger as she walked up to Abaddon and got right in his face. "I don't want to breathe with him around, let alone fight him!"

Abaddon looked at her with those demonic eyes as if reading her mind, then his lips twitched in a sardonic smile. "Aah," he said. "Mad at Jack aren't we? Well why don't you take out all your anger on him and we'll see if you really do need a lesson or not."

Rapunzel made a noise at the back of her throat that resembled a growl and turned to face me. "Let's do this," she glared at me and I chuckled. Was it just me or was she adorable as heck when she was mad?

Suddenly, without warning, she launched herself at me and tackled me to the floor, banging my head on the matted floor. I recovered quickly and flipped us over so I was on top. Then she elbowed my shoulder and I winced in pain, rolling away from her. She took the opportunity to stand up and leered at me. "Who's the weak one now?"

Oh she did NOT just call me that. Calmly I stood up and kicked her foot, her legs swinging out beneath and causing her to land on the mat with a thud. "You are," I replied, jumping on the balls of my feet. This was getting fun.

She growled again and her hands glowed. Is she using her Source?

Before I could comprehend what was happening, my own fist connected with my own face.

Rapunzel tsked at me, "You couldn't even be strong enough to block my Source from controlling your brain. How strong do you really think you are?"

I clutched my nose and looked over at Abaddon. He was smiling.

"Strong enough to hit a baby girl," I smiled evilly and almost winced at the pain it caused my cheek muscles. I gathered my Source and concentrated ice on her feet. In less than a second her feet were glued to the ground with ice and she was as red as a tomato.

"Ok that's enough for now," Abaddon intercepted, holding up a hand. "Go get showered and go eat. It's time for school. You'll continue your training later."

I took off my sweaty shirt and enjoyed the blush creeping up Rapunzel's face at the sight of my chest. "See you in school mustard," I winked.

I heard a tiny scream of anger as she stomped her foot and yelled, "You'd better watch your back Jack! Because if you don't I'll bake you in my cupcakes and feed you to my grandmother!"

Oh, I can't wait for school.


End file.
